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11.05.07 by Tuffley @ 1:31 am  Well, it's official--barring any last second deals, the Writers Guild of America is set to walk out on their jobs today. The top concern this go round seems to revolve around the writers seeking higher royalties for DVD sales and receiving any payment at all for internet streaming of their material. But you really don't care about the plight of the writers, do you? After all, should the strike go long enough--most of the writing staffs of both Lost and Heroes could simply go back to writing comics. And really, being paid for written material on the internet? That's just ridiculous. What you really want to know about the impending strike is how your precious television serials and movies will be affected by all this work stopping action. Well, the answer is: depends on who you ask, and depends and what you watch. Categorized as: Rants
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10.12.07 by Tuffley @ 2:22 am  To the Stargate and Doctor Who fandoms: At certain points over recent years, I may have referred to one or both of you as being "the whiniest bitches on the internet". However, I've come to realize I might have been far too hasty in making that proclamation. No, I'm not apologizing. Many of are you still whiny bitches. But you're just not the whiniest bitches on the Internet. The new drama queens have moved in. And man, Radiohead fans are anal--aren't they? There. Someone needed to say it. A mere day after the "grand experiment" and the Internets are awash with complaints: everything from the "lowly" 160 kbps bit rate to being "used" by the band and its management to promote the physical release of the In Rainbows CD. For those of you feeling ripped off or used by Radiohead, I present the following reality check: Categorized as: Rants
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07.19.07 by Widge @ 6:57 pm  So I've posted the press release (or at least as much of it as I could stand) to the new Gabfest. But the more I think about it, the more pissed off I am. (Update: Full press release text here.) Gist: a "certified grief counselor" is using the release of Harry Potter's final book to pimp herself to the media, under the guise of helping parents and children deal with grief over the death of fictional characters. Because deaths are rumored to happen in Book 7, the press release states "This could have a serious impact on children, millions of whom have grown up reading, watching and profoundly enjoying the characters and storylines of the Harry Potter series." For crying out loud, people. It's not bad enough that anytime Something Bad Happens we trot out grief counselors to prop up children (who, for the most part, don't need propping up as often as they get propped up--they're children--they're resilient little bastards), now we're going to trot them out when Something Bad Doesn't Actually Happen. It's fiction! Categorized as: Books and Rants
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06.01.07 by Tuffley @ 6:08 pm  Back in April, Apple and The EMI Labels reached an agreement that will see music from its labels (excluding, of course, The Beatles and Radiohead) being sold on the iTunes music store without encrypted copyright protection on its files. The new service is called iTunes Plus, and officially rolled out as part of this week's 7.2 update. While users will be able to purchase complete albums from EMI Artists without DRM for the same price iTunes currently charges (around $9.99), individual tracks without DRM will be sold as a premium item (for about $1.29 a track) Users will be given the option of paying the regular iTune per-track price for EMI-released tracks with the DRM, and (should they choose the Plus option) will also the bit rate of the purchased track. In addition, the per-track may be credited for purchase of the album (if the tracks have been purchased within the last 180 days) through the recently added Complete Your Album feature. Apple is also offering Plus users the chance to upgrade any existing Plus-eligible track/album purchases already in their collection to the DRM-Free ACC format for a fee. Categorized as: Rants
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04.23.07 by Widge @ 6:40 pm  Wow, I had no idea I was undercutting hard working writers who don't give away their work for free. I'm also glad that Howard Hendrix thinks that my stuff is good enough to get paid for, and that I'm screwing up the world by giving it away online. Thanks, Howard! That would mean a lot coming from you, had I any idea who you were or why I should care. Before I counter-rant, for those who are interested, here's my webscabery in action: Something Else - ongoing microfictions. (Although if you only have time for one, may I humbly suggest this one or maybe this one) Dark Blue Monstropolis - ongoing sci-fi series If you like my stuff, you'll be pissing off Howard if you read my books, either for free, or proving him wrong by buying them on Amazon. So I say: piss him off and buy. Mystics on the Road to Vanishing Point - my novel. Sorry, it's straight fiction. But don't hold that against me. Buy it on Amazon or read it for free. Magnificent Desolation - my short story collection. Dark fantasy and other weirdness. Buy it on Amazon or read it for free. Find more webscabs online here. Right. Now if you want to read my counter-rant, proceed. Otherwise, thanks for stopping by and enjoy my free webscab-enabled work. Huzzah. Categorized as: Rants
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